Ad screenshots/tearsheets: Five client requests you should push back on, and how to do it
Most advertisers or agencies (let’s call them clients) require screenshots, tearsheets, or previews of digital ads for a given campaign as a part of the report once a campaign is live (Ad Reform automates this). Many times advertiser/agency requests get a bit out of hand, and gathering these screenshots can become a huge burden. In these cases, it’s important to push back to protect you and your team’s time and focus. Remember, everything is negotiable, and your time is just as important as the clients. Here are five requests you should push back on with ideas of how to do it:
Include the website nav bar in every screenshot
Clients may ask that the nav bar for the website be in every screenshot even if the full ad is below the fold. This can be fairly time consuming because you will likely have to generate a full-page (scrolling) screenshot then cut out the part of it that includes the nav bar and ad together. Not only is it time consuming, but it’s also unrealistic. A user never views a web page this way, so why should you have to generate a screenshot like this? It should be simple enough to inform your clients that you only generate screenshots that a user would actually experience (the standard desktop or mobile viewport). They shouldn’t have a problem with that.
No negative content in the screenshot
Some advertisers/agencies will ask that their ads not be near negative content in screenshots. If your client is asking only to run on premium news sites, it’s unrealistic for them to think their ads won’t be near some kind of negative/controversial content. It’s 2018 🤯😵🔥🚑
No other ads in view
Brands hate sharing ad space with other brands. Sometimes they can pay a premium for run of site or wallpaper ads. When they don’t pay a premium why should you still have to generate premium screenshots without other ads in view. Not only is it time consuming, but it’s also unrealistic, and not how users are experiencing the page.
You should always push back on requests that require your team to generate screenshots that don’t align with how users actually experience the a site.
Show time/date in screenshot
Never do this. If they’re actually wanting time/dates/urls for their ads/campaigns, direct them to the verification tool that either of you use (Double Verify, Moat, Google, etc.). You both pay for them already. Get some return on your investments 😂
2+ screenshot for every ad in a campaign
If the campaign is small (3–5 ads) this request is totally doable. If not, push back. Again, lean on verification data from the vendor of your choice, and compliment that with 1 screenshot per ad.
You’re not in the business of generating screenshots (we are!). Your value to the client is not in providing lots of premium screenshots the way that they want them. Your value is your product, content, targeting, conversions, ROI, etc. If you push back, and explain why spending additional time on these more detailed requests won’t help give them the value they’re looking for, you will get out of a lot of these custom requests. They don’t really NEED some of these things. They just know you’ll do them. Draw a line in the sand, use technology to automate some of this, and work with them on more impactful tasks.
